All the victims killed in the accident that took place on the busy Ahmednagar-Aurangabad highway were heading for a religious place in Buldhana in SUV.

Seven persons were killed and two others injured as the SUV they were travelling in collided with a truck on the Ahmednagar-Aurangabad road in Maharashtra early Wednesday morning. According to the local police, the speeding Bolero initially crashed into the median and hit the truck coming from the other side near Dhangarwadi junction.

Around 4 am, the vehicle, headed towards Aurangabad, lost control and hit the truck bound towards Ahmednagar after crashing with the divider, said Vilas Kanawade of the MIDC Police Station, adding that the victims killed in the accident were heading for a religious place in Buldhana.

“The collision was massive as it completely damaged Bolero. All the seven persons died on the spot,” said Kanawade. The two persons who sustained minor injuries were taken to a hospital in Ahmednagar, the police said.

“Our investigation indicate the Bolero driver must have fallen asleep at the wheel and lost control of the vehicle. The accident was gruesome with the mangled remains of the jeep and the bodies that we took time to identify the victims,” Kanawade said.

The deceased have been identified as Manohar Gaikwad, Ankush Nemane, Mubarak Tamboli, Balu Chavan, Swapnil Chavan, Arun Shinde and Gokul Gaikwad. All the victims were native of Yavat in Pune district.

Following the incident, the driver of the truck fled the spot. The police have started searching for the absconding truck driver. The accident took place on the busy Ahmednagar-Aurangabad highway.